Herds of people swarmed Barrett’s Haunted Mansion on Route 18 Friday night looking for a scare.

Mikaela Slaney

The countdown to Halloween has begun.

And what better way is there to get in the spirit than to come face to face with a demonic clown or a chainsaw wielding madman?

Herds of people swarmed Barrett’s Haunted Mansion on Route 18 Friday night looking for such a scare, and a portion of their ticket sales benefited 18 local charities and organizations.

Since the mansion’s inception 16 years ago, approximately $500,000 has been spread throughout local and national charities and organizations, said owner Mary Barrett Costello of Scituate.

“It’s become a huge thing,” Costello said. “It’s a win-win situation for everyone. Charities are guaranteed a flat fee per night, and on busy days they can make a higher profit.”

Tickets go for $16 or $11 with a coupon, which are good Sunday through Thursday.

The haunted mansion will close for the season on Tuesday.

The ticket booth opens at 6 p.m., and doors to the mansion open at 7 p.m. The last ticket is sold at 10:30 p.m., and the last ticket-holder is still guaranteed a trip through the mansion.

“Regardless of how long the line is, you will get in,” Costello said.

Charity group members work the event with 32 performing as actors in the mansion per night. A few remain on the outside dressed to scare people waiting in line, with some performing on stilts.

Charity members are assigned their roles in the beginning of each season, with roles assigned based on the sets inside the mansion.

“I give a copy of how aggressive the sets are, whether it takes makeup, people take the sets that they want,” Costello said. “If you’re really aggressive, you may take the chainsaw, if you’re not aggressive you may do the top of the stairs, telling people where the stairs are.”

Another option for shy performers is to create effects behind the scenes.

“There are people banging or dropping things, they don’t have to be seen, they just do their thing,” she said.

Costello said she draws inspiration for her designs from “years of being a horror buff.”

“My favorite horror character is Michael Myers from 'Halloween,' because he just doesn’t talk, he’s very intimidating,” Costello said.

Thirteen-year-old Abington resident Chloe Friedman said she has visited the mansion twice so far this year.

“It’s fantastic, so scary,” she said. “All the monsters' makeup is so realistic.”

Friedman said the scariest part of the evening was the “claustrophobic room.”

“All the walls close in on you,” she said. “It’s like you’re stuck in it, so you can’t get out and you don’t know what’s going to happen.”

Friedman recalled another scary incident from that evening.

“My friends told one of the clowns my name so he chased me around saying ‘Chloe come here, I’m going to get you,' and he chased me around the parking lot.”

Last year on two separate occasions, mansion staff members had to call the fire department for an ambulance because a participant was scared to the point of fainting.

But most people, Costello said, don’t allow themselves to get to that point.

“What I thought was funny, people would say ‘that was great,’ and I’d say ‘what did you think of this room?’ and they’d say ‘I didn’t see that,’ and it’s because 80 percent went through with their eyes closed,” Costello said.

Costello said the mansion has become a well-known hit over the past few years.

“I just think we get better every year inside,” she said. “People come from New Hampshire, Rhode Island, the Cape. Someone came the other night from New York. We’re definitely on the map as far as the haunted house.”

Last year was the best financial year yet, Costello said, and the mansion was able to contribute about $40,000 to charities. Business slid a little this year on nights the Red Sox played, she said.

Repeat participant Kathy Guang said she brought her three friends to the mansion Friday night expecting a good time.

“We came here last year and it was fun,” Guang said. “Everybody was in the mood, they were very enthusiastic.”

Barrett’s Haunted Mansion is located at 1235 Bedford St. on Route 18, next to the Abington Ale House & Grill. Mansion activities have taken over the Funder Mountain miniature golf course.

A portion of this year’s proceeds will benefit the Rockland High School band boosters, Abington Youth Football, the Abington Lions Club, the Rockland Lion Club, the Brockton Rotary Club, and Keeping Pace with Multiple Miracles (a charity that assists mothers who have had twins, triplets, sextuplets etc.)

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